The COVID-19 outbreak has compelled professionals from all industries to become experts in remote communications as a result of this pandemic.
The challenges of remote work have become so familiar to a lot of people now that they have developed a number of habits to cope with them, such as hearing kids playing or dogs barking in the background.
In fact, some of us are so accustomed to this new style of communication that goes back to the office feel uncomfortable.
You might worry about how to communicate effectively with colleagues when you get back to the office.
Working from home may have taught you remote communication habits that could prove beneficial to you in the future. Here's how.
Adapting To The "New Normal"
Over the past 2 years, you've probably established a routine that works for you.
You might be a bit frustrated by the idea of going back to the office after you've perfected your setup.
You Perform Better On Your Own
Independent workers have always known they work best on their own. Some people discovered this after the pandemic.
Working by yourself has increased your productivity, so you might be concerned about going back to the office and how it will impact it.
Here are 10 helpful remote communication habits you can use to improve your office communication:
1. Establishing Clear Expectation
A key element of good remote communication is for your team members to understand their expectations.
Working from home, you probably review your requests carefully to ensure there isn't any confusion when you ask someone to complete a task.
In the office, you can do this just as easily as you do at home.
Continue to establish clear expectations so there are no miscommunications or frustrations.
2. Giving Specific Feedback
You must also establish clear expectations when working remotely and provide feedback that explains why things need to be changed and how.
Once you're back at work, continue giving this kind of feedback.
Be specific about what you like and how it should be done differently to keep everyone on the same page.
3. Setting Limits for Interruptions
When you work from home, you probably had to set some boundaries regarding your schedule with family members.
You can use the skills you've developed around boundary setting when you return to work to prevent interruptions.
You could wear some noise-canceling headphones or post a sign that tells people to wait until later when you're ready to do some deep work.
4. Keeping an Eye on Your Tone
You need to be extra careful about your tone when you send emails or chat messages to colleagues so they understand your intent.
Even when you're in the office again, make sure you check your tone for clarity, politeness, and professionalism.
5. Reducing After-Hours Communication
Several people fall into the habit of answering emails and other messages at all hours when they first start working from home.
When they burned out, they corrected their course and established work-related communication boundaries.
Maintain this boundary even if others try to get around it now that you're back at work.
Let people know that you won't answer work-related messages after office hours, and hold on to it no matter what.
6. Requesting Clarification When Necessary
In remote communication, even if everyone tries to communicate what they mean or what they want, you may still need additional clarifications.
If you all worked from home, asking for clarity made sense.
Why can't the same rule apply now that you're back in the office?
You can ask someone directly for clarification if you need it.
7. Meetings That Are Unnecessary Should Be Avoided
Throughout the pandemic, we learned that a lot of meetings are unnecessary.
The team can accomplish just as much when the supervisor or manager sends regular emails, updates, and feedback on how the progress is going.
As you work together again, don't schedule unnecessary meetings.
Do what you can to summarize your points in an email.
Let your coworkers complete their work in peace whenever possible.
8. Priorities Should Be Set Early
People who work from home develop a habit of setting priorities immediately when starting a new task or having meetings to discuss future plans.
You should do this in the office too.
Before every meeting, share the purpose of the meeting or explain the priority topics that need to be discussed.
This will increase focus and get everyone up to speed.
Start Work Confidently
It is clear that during the pandemic, you developed many valuable skills for remote communication.
Once you adopt these new habits into your daily routine, you'll most likely find it a lot easier to fit in with your coworkers and resume working in a traditional setting.
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